


Apagnos

by amassingeffect (Furorscribiendi)



Series: Goddamn Trainwreck [4]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Explicit Language, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-07-01 18:17:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15779478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Furorscribiendi/pseuds/amassingeffect
Summary: They got a ship and went to Eletania. Javik got his answers and so did Zaeed, when he realised he had some questions.





	Apagnos

Of course Shepard said yes. Had even managed to arrange a ship and transport for them. It was weird to practically feel the disapproval dripping off Javik. The resources diverted for this excursion was unnecessary and blah, blah, blah. Zaeed didn’t really care, since it was gonna hopefully give Javik some peace of mind. 

Small price in his damned opinion. 

Shepard could see the disapproval and didn’t seem to give a flying shit. Just told them about the ship and the Mako that they managed to requistion for one-time use.

“Make sure you bring it back in one piece or Mikhailovich is gonna have my guts for garters,” Shepard held up a hand. “And before you say anything, Eletania is pretty much just either plains, small valleys or big fucking mountains. Guess where the orb station is?”

All right then. Good to know. Edi was the last one to bid them farewell when they docked at the Citadel. “It was nice to see you again Zaeed,” she said through the speakers as the decon cycled through. “I am sure you’ll bring back Commander Javik in one piece.”

“Maybe.” Zaeed mused. “Here’s hoping nothing shoots at us.”

“I do believe if that does happen, you’ll both be breaking something not upon your persons.”

That actually got a snort out of Javik and it was all Zaeed could do to not say something. Then again, he also didn’t have a death wish. So while he’d say he was fond of Javik, there no bloody way he was saying, “You just agree with a synthetic?” Might as well sign his last will and testament then and there.

Zaeed had chuckled, pausing to pat her hull as they stepped outside. “See you later beautiful” was his sole reply before he and Javik headed to the new berth. 

The ship Shepard managed to swing for them was a tiny thing. Barely had room in the hold for the Mako and a few supply crates. The Alliance personnel were certainly eyeing them up as they strode on. It was something to be said for Javik’s intent stare, it made most people remember literally anything else they could be doing. Once the papers had been signed, the personnel cleared out right quick. Zaeed made his way to the cockpit, starting a preflight check. Javik stood behind the pilot’s seat. 

“You have much experience with these crafts?”

“Yeah. Prefer to let someone else do the flying if I have an op to run, easier all around.” Zaeed glanced back at him. “Why?”

“You require a co-pilot.”

Zaeed made a noise of disapproval but fell quiet when Javik’s hand slid along his scarred cheek, turning his face look at him. This would be easier, he figured, if that fucking blush hadn’t come to his face and he could, you know, look away from those damned double-pupiled yellow eyes that saw way too much for Zaeed’s liking sometimes. After a few seconds, Javik drew his hand away, not before his thumb lightly grazed Zaeed’s lower lip though. 

Silently, Zaeed watched as Javik settled in the co-pilot’s seat and started assisting with pre-flight check. Right. Okay. So… yeah. Like a month away from the fucking bug and he forgot that sometimes ‘No’ was a word Javik didn’t quite grasp in some senses. That and just sitting back and letting Zaeed do all the work seemed to not suit him at all. Once they were done and the flight path filed, Zaeed engaged the door locks and released the docking clamps.

“All right, let’s get the hell out of here before people start questioning a merc and a Prothean taking off on a ship requested by Shepard.”

Javik shrugged. “If they board, I’ll shoot them.”

“Let me know in advance, I’ll release the airlock. Shoot ‘em and then space ‘em.”

That got a pleased sound from Javik and Zaeed grinned as he eased them out of the berth and away from the Citadel.

________________________________________________________

It took them nearly three days to travel to Eletania. Between all the congested relay traffic and having to lay low when Reaper ships popped up from time to time, it was a trip that should have felt longer in Zaeed’s opinion. 

Yeah, there were spells of quiet, but he didn’t mind it. Saw no need to fill it with inane chatter like some people did. Truth be told, the most surprising thing was that Javik actually did have a sense of humour. A super dry and brutally pragmatic one. It had blindsided Zaeed when Javik had spoken after a tasteless breakfast of ration bars on day two.

“What do you call an optimist on the battlefield?”

It had taken Zaeed a full second to realise that was the set up to a joke and that it had really come from Javik’s actual mouth. Then he was staring at Javik even longer, trying to figure this all out. But damned if he wasn’t curious.

“I dunno. An idiot?”

“A dead man.”

For a moment, Zaeed just stared before he burst out laughing. Shit, some things really did not change over time. The ping of their radar had sent them scrambling for the shadow of the nearest moon and going dark. They had watched the steady blip of the Reaper ship passing, waited a bit more once the radar said it had passed by before continuing on their way. 

The landing was smooth and easy. Zaeed had found a nice little valley where the mountains overhanged a bit. Hopefully, it would screen them from passing ships. Gearing up was something else. One thing Zaeed was definitely not prepared for was Prothean exploration gear. It was nothing like the usual bulky red armour Javik wore. It looked more like the sort of light armour a biotic would wear, but more form-fitting. The helmet was a sleek thing, accentuating the leaf shape of Javik’s head. But all in all, it was also armour that left practically nothing to the imagination. Zaeed was kind of thankful for having to wear a full suit as well because that fucking armour of Javik’s was wreaking havoc with his blood pressure and his dick. 

Watching him walk was some exercise in torture, seeing the movement of muscles and seriously, Javik did have a fantastic arse. When they got to the small hold, he ordered the VI to raise the environmental barrier screen before lowering the gangplank. The hydraulics whined as they opened the Mako doors. Zaeed hopped right in, but Javik looked uncertain as he paused before slowlying getting in on the passenger’s side and closing the hatch.

Zaeed gestured to their helmets, activating the comms. “What?” he asked as he buckled in.

Javik was quiet for a moment before saying, “There are… tales of Shepard’s driving.”

“I know. I fucking survived them driving a piece of tissue paper with a joke of a cannon. And I’m not fucking Shepard. Buckle up.”

As much as Zaeed said he wasn’t Shepard, he was certainly fucking tested getting to the damn orb station. Shepard’s description of ‘big fucking mountains’ was a damned joke. It was like sheer jagged points scraping the sky. Never in his life did Zaeed have to attempt driving up nearly sheer cliff faces. Thank fuck for the Mako’s spiked wheels that got it some traction.

If this was how he had to drive, he gave silent thanks that he never had to ride in this thing with Shepard. But it did explain the sometimes faraway, traumatized look Garrus got or the long silences from Tali when anyone mentioned ‘Shepard’ and ‘driving’ in the same breath. Poor bastards had probably puked at some point.

As for Javik, well he didn’t look ready to call Zaeed a dirty damn liar, but he didn’t look entirely relaxed either. It was a harrowing hour later that their destination appeared, down in a fucking shallow valley, naturally. How the fuck did this look like big-ass mountains? Shepard was not funny. It took some careful steering and once they stopped and parked, Zaeed breathed a sigh of relief. One half done. Now it was just the getting back once they had what they came for.

The door hydraulics hissed as Javik got out and Zaeed did the same. It did look impressive like this, cradled between all this green capped rock with nothing but blue sky and large pollen tufts above. He followed after Javik, watching as they stepped beneath the orb. Every damn time, Zaeed couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if the damn thing just gave out. They’d be crushed like… well…

Motion made him look to see Javik pulling out the trinket from an outer pocket. In response, a small slot appeared at the bottom of the orb. The trinket looked like it would fit in perfectly. Javik regarded the slot for a moment before looking back at him. 

Didn’t say a damned word, just held out his hand.

After a moment, Zaeed took it. Yeah, he’d been along for this ride so far, and even for all the ways they did and didn’t talk, Zaeed trusted Javik. 

So he took it, gripping tight as he stepped in closer. Javik face him for a few more seconds before reaching up and slotting in the trinket. 

The orb flashed, a green shimmer racing over it before light pulsed out. It was like an info dump right into his brain. A planet just skirting the edge of the galactic rim, long burnt out with the surface looking like a desert with skeletal remains of buildings that pulsed with light as the sun beat down. But deep in the stable bedrock was a small bunker. Inside were rows of pods with sleeping inhabitants, awaiting wake codes and commands from the Empire. 

When it all receded, Javik was looking down at him in concern. Or what he imagined was concern, because the helmet showed nothing. That had been nothing like the memory shard, where it was all muted, with the only clear thing being Javik’s memory. It was sharp and crisp, so clear that it left a pounding ache dead center in his brain and he felt like he almost knew where that planet was, it was just there if he could just forget the damned pain and focus on it.

“Let it go,” Javik’s voice was calm over the comm. “What you are trying to remember, let it fall from your grasp. It will still be there. You need time.”

“Solar panels. The planet.” Zaeed winced. Shit, he was going to have a banging migraine from this. It was pretty much a countdown at this point, and here they were, an hour away from the ship and any sort of meds.

He tried to get up and everything spun so much, he damned near fell over. Javik caught him, helped him back to the Mako. Zaeed didn’t have a single protest as he was bundled into the passenger side and Javik quickly buckled him up. 

Getting out of the valley and the narrow gully to it was easier and Javik managed to shave off twenty minutes, parking in the blessed dim of the hold and letting the decon cycle run through. Once it was finished, Javik got him out had helped him to the mess, pausing long enough to take off their helmets before digging out the med kit. Zaeed managed to fumble through it, squinting at the double pill packets before he ripped open the needed one. Javik silently handed him a glass of water and Zaeed gulped down the pills, sighing in relief when the throbbing in his head started to subside. How the fuck did they handle this shit like two centuries ago before insta-relief pills?

After a few moments, he opened his eyes to find Javik watching him carefully. “Look, I don’t usually get migraines. Takes a hell of a lot to set them off.”

Javik waved a hand in dismissal. “That doesn’t matter. The Commander forwarded me the Eden Prime reports. They slept for 36 hours after interacting with the beacon.”

Zaeed snorted. “Wasn’t that shit busted? Can’t sleep now, we gotta get our arses off this planet and get you back to the Normandy.”

“I will start pre-flight checks,” Javik didn’t turn to leave yet. “But you will sleep when you must.”

That… sounded suspiciously like a request. It didn’t have the same tone as an order. Zaeed took a moment, just letting the pills do their work. How did they keep doing this, saying shit with no fucking words? Like, he was pretty sure where they stood but still, some words would be nice. He found himself wanting words ‘cause knowing for sure would be fucking great, what with the galaxy burning and all.

He followed Javik up to the cockpit and found the Prothean studying the only thing left on — the radar. And right there, was a big fucking blip that meant only one thing: Reaper. They glanced at each other, the agreement silent. They were not leaving this planet yet. They’d never get off it in one piece much less make it to the relay if racing against a dreadnought or even a fucking sovereign class. 

They’d left their ship running with just enough juice to power the radar, no sense in getting caught with their pants down. And they had hoped the power would be low enough to blend in with the planet’s natural fields. Maybe they just had to wait this one out. When they sat down in their seats, it was with the expectation that they may have to crank everything on to gun it.

The blip on the radar took forever to slowly move out of range and when Javik looked at him, Zaeed simply shook his head. Reapers were clever bastards, he wouldn’t put it past them to go just beyond radar range and lurk. The relay was gonna be a hard burn if they had a Reaper on their tail.

They waited in silence another two hours, not seeing anything come back on the radar. When Zaeed looked at Javik, he got a nod in reply. Good enough for him, he started up the engines as Javik went through the flights checks quickly. They were off the planet in less than five minutes, each of them keeping at eye for trouble. 

It remained silent as they left Eletania and didn’t give a peep at all the entire way back to the Citadel. Talk about small mercies, Zaeed didn’t feel like rabbiting away from Reapers and dealing with that stress. He napped in the seat when he could, dreams disjointed and full of shit that made precious little sense. Half the time when he woke, he found something waiting for him. A drink-pak, an MRE or ration bar. But Javik was always in his seat, holding down the fort. It had been a mostly silent ride back, both of them with their own thoughts. When they were finally back at the Citadel, with the docking clamps engaging, all Zaeed could do was sit in his damn seat wanting nothing more to be back on Eletania. 

It had been the two of them and not another soul on the planet. Just the two of them, with peace and quiet. He watched as Javik got up from his seat, kept watching as Javik headed from the cockpit down the hall. 

Javik paused to look at him. “Yes?”

Totally busted. Zaeed didn’t try to hide it by looking away, just pursed his lips in thought before asking, “You gonna wear that armour more?”

“I wear what I need,” Javik kept his gaze. “I rarely have need for armour this light.”

“Your arse looks fantastic in it.” 

Javik gave a ‘tch’ of annoyance, even as he held out an arm to inspect something on the armour. “Perhaps I shall field test it on the next mission with the Commander.”

“Bet you get more maneuverability out of it,” Zaeed’s eyes were drawn to the oblong lengths of the wing guards along Javik’s spine. The lines of the armour flowed down to that fantastic arse and muscled legs. “Just a suggestion.”

“Just a simple suggestion, right?” Javik didn’t bother to hide his sardonic laugh. “You’re very transparent, Zaeed.”

“You’re not.” Zaeed got up from his seat before he thought of it, came to stand in front of Javik. “What the hell is going on with us?”

This wasn’t honestly how Zaeed pictured this conversation going. Yeah, he didn’t know when it would happen, but after a trip to a planet to go digging for more info? Yeah, not expected. His damned gut and heart were running so far fucking ahead, his poor brain was left in the dust. Javik was watching him, blinking every so often.

“We are mated.”

Suddenly, Javik’s matter of fact tone grated right on Zaeed’s nerves. “You say ‘mated’ and I hear ‘fucking’. I’m not a bloody Prothean, so do me the courtesy of using goddamn words.”

Javik raised a hand, but lowered it when Zaeed growled out, “Fucking. Words.” For a few minutes there was silence from Javik before he spoke again, his voice quiet. 

“We are mated. There is no equivalent word in your language. The closest idea is…” Javik gave a grimace before he was silent for a few seconds again. “Marriage, but that is still wrong. We are mated. We are phie’rus.”

Javik held up his bare hand once more, an offered explanation. Zaeed took it, slotting his fingers between those three. Maybe there was something to this whole information touch thing because the feeling that washed over him said everything that the words really did fail to convey. 

If he needed Javik for anything, he would come. Regardless of what it was, of how difficult it was, he would come. Boyfriend was too paltry and weak a fucking word to describe this, but marriage really was too much. What they were… it was the first step on a road to what Protheans considered a union rite. He could feel how much Javik did care for him, the confidence in Zaeed’s skill, rage and ferocity. Zaeed was a survivor, would survive this war, Javik had such a rock-solid surety in that it kind of surprised Zaeed.

Those yellow eyes were looking at him, surprise clear as day.

“You have been this unsure?” Javik finally asked.

“I don’t talk like this. You’re the one who chose a practically blind human,” Zaeed cracked, because now he felt like such an irrational idiot. “Shit, good thing you like how angry I can get.” He looked down at their linked hands, wondering how evolution took such a different jump in this cycle. “How long have you been saying so much shit?”

“Long enough.”

Zaeed’s back hit the wall, not that he cared because seconds later Javik was kissing him, blunt tongue pressing against the seam of Zaeed’s mouth. Like he was gonna say no to this. He pulled Javik in closer to him, hands sliding along that form-fitting armour. Seriously, Javik needed to wear more shit like this where it did everything for his figure and Zaeed couldn’t deny that he wanted to just strip it off Javik. His hands had just cupped that ass and pulled Javik in closer when the synthesized voice of the onboard VI chimed,

“Commander Shepard is at the airlock, requesting permission to board.”

Zaeed swore, “I’m gonna murder that little shit.”

“Biotics, finely applied, leave no mark.”

The sour look on Javik’s face as he looked to the airlock door had Zaeed turning his face back. It was much easier to kiss Javik and not have to deal with Shepard right now. At least, until that fucking annoying VI voice interrupted again. Zaeed made a sound of extreme frustration.

“Kill them after the war. Need those fucking Reapers dead.” He shook his head. “Cockblocked by fucking Commander Shepard.”

“Such strange terms, but that one makes sense.” Javik drew back, scowl firmly in place for entirely new reasons. “Allow the Commander on.”

There came the hiss of the airlock opening and a few minutes passed as the decon cycle ran through. The only thing Javik did was turn, so he was standing beside Zaeed as they waited. When the inside opened, there was no sign of Shepard.

“You two decent?” they called out.

“No fucking thanks to you.” Zaeed groused, crossing his arms.

Shepard didn’t even have the grace to look sorry as they finally came in. They did look tense and very pissed off. 

“Who shit in your bed?” Zaeed couldn’t help but ask.

“Councilor Tevos,” was Shepard’s curt answer before they looked straight at Javik. “We have a mission on Thessia. Are you ready to deploy within the hour?”

“Yes Commander.” Javik snapped to attention.

“Initial reports say the Reapers are there with the full intention of taking the planet. I already have Joker clearing us for take off,” Shepard’s gaze raked over the Prothean. “You may want your usual armour.”

Javik simply replied with a slight curl of his lip. “We’ll see.”

Shepard shifted their attention. “Zaeed, I was asked to tell you that Major Persaud would like to contract you again.”

“Arse can’t ask himself?”

That got a thin smile from Shepard. “Well, given how the last mission from him went, I guess he figured going through me would be better.”

“That jackass better have proper intel this time. If Jisseya is onboard for whatever his shit is, she’ll rip him a new one if it’s wrong.”

For a moment, Shepard didn’t say anything and then, “Does she want to talk with Mikhailovich? Five minutes with that guy would test anyone.”

“Nah, I’d sic Kaemus on him. Dude doesn’t really know when to shut the hell up.”

“I will be along presently, Commander.” Javik said.

If there was ever a, “please go the fuck away” that was it. Zaeed just never thought to hear it so plainly from Javik. Shepard nodded, calling out ‘Same berth!” as they left. The second the airlock door was closed, Zaeed found himself shoved up against the wall and Javik was on him. 

“I have an hour. Make it worth my time.” Javik was already undoing parts of Zaeed’s armour.

Zaeed grinned. “My absolute goddamn pleasure.”

**Author's Note:**

> Did someone ask for more Prothean words? No, just me? Okay then. 
> 
> _apagnos_ \- the Prothean term for the retrofitted innusannon data repository orbs; in the current cycle, Commander Shepard is the only known extant person besides Javik to have had the most interaction with them; loosely means 'all knowledge'
> 
> _phie’rus_ \- when a mate is selected and intimacy, both physical and emotional, has been initiated by both parties; there is a (Prothean) societal expectation that you both will defend the other, should the need arise
> 
> Now, I just want these two to grow old together and bicker in a house by a lake and happily shoot any idiot mercs who try to take them out. And they also have a dog that Javik pretends to despise but he's totally the one who falls asleep on the couch with it. Zaeed cheerfully fields the calls from Liara about writing a book with Javik. She usually hangs up when he asks how well she thinks a copy of it will burn in a fireplace.


End file.
